page_title: Lactarius deterrimus
section_title: Macroscopic characteristics
hierarchical_section_title: Lactarius deterrimus / Characteristics / Macroscopic characteristics
caption_attribution_description: English: False Saffron Milkcap (Lactarius deterrimus) Deutsch: Fichten-Reizker (Lactarius deterrimus)
context_page_description: Lactarius deterrimus, also known as false saffron milkcap or orange milkcap, is a species of fungus in the family Russulaceae. The fungus produces medium-sized fruit bodies with orangish caps up to 12 centimetres wide that develop green spots in old age or if injured. Its orange-coloured latex stains maroon within 30 minutes. Lactarius deterrimus is a mycorrhizal fungus that associates with Norway spruce and bearberry. The species is distributed in Europe, but has also found in parts of Asia. A visually similar species in the United States and Mexico is not closely related to the European species. Fruit bodies appear between late June and November, usually in spruce forests. Although the fungus is edible—like all Lactarius mushrooms from the section Deliciosi—its taste is often bitter, and it is not highly valued. The fruit bodies are used as source of food for the larvae of several insect species. Lactarius deterrimus can be distinguished from similar Lactarius species by difference in the mycorrhizal host or latex colour.
context_section_description: The cap is 3 to 10 cm (1 to 4 in), rarely up to 12 cm (4 ¹⁄₂ in) wide and more or less centrifugal-shaped and round. It is at early stage convex and furled on the slightly churlish edge, and depressed in the centre and later flat, funnel-shaped depressed. The cap skin is bare, greasy in moist weather and slightly shiny when dry. The cap is tangerine to orange-brown, darker zoned towards the edges and dulls mainly yellow-brown. In old age or after cold or frost it changes the colour more or less to dirty greenish or green-spotted.
  The dense, bow-like lamellae are pale-orange to pale-ochre and on the stipe basifixed or slightly decurrent. They are brittle and intermixed with shorter lamellulae (short gills that do not extend fully from the cap margin to the stem) as well as partly forking near the stem. In old age or in cases of injury they receive initially dark red, later grey green spots. The spore print is pale ochre.
  The mainly long and cylindrical stipe is reddish orange. It is 4 to 8 cm (1 ¹⁄₂ to 3 in) (rarely 10 cm (4 in)) long, 1 to 1.5 cm (³⁄₈ to ⁵⁄₈ in) wide and barely foveate or blotchy. On the basis it is often slightly thickened or pompous and becomes hollow inside. A bloomy circular zones is found on the lamella disposition.
  The milk is first carrot-red and becomes a maroon colour within 10 to 30 minutes. The brittle and pale-yellowish flesh is often infested with maggots. If cut or injured it becomes, as the milk, first carrot-red, then maroon and within hours dirty green. The fruit body smells harsh, fruit-like and first tastes mild, but then slightly resinous-bitter and nearly spicy or somewhat astringent.
caption: Image detail of the underside of the cap with the predominantly orange coloured, partially crossconnected gills
exif: {}